We’ve got snacks, and then we’ve got The Golden Duck‘s Gourmet Snacks. The local brand takes snacking up plenty of notches with their range of carefully-crafted, savoury snacks, whether it’s salted egg yolk chips, a mala-inspired crispy mix or this time — the new Bangkok Tom Yum Goong Gourmet Mix.
The favourite among voters after three weeks of ‘The Great Snack Showdown’ campaign, the snack pack reimagines everyone’s undisputed favourite Thai dish, and sees that heart-fluttering blend of spicy, sour, sweet, and salty. Instead of standard potato crisps, we’re looking at a blend of three unique ingredients, served deep-fried and crunchy — Lotus Root Crisps, Oyster Mushrooms and Shrimp Chins, all the better to achieve those complex flavours.
new: tom yum goong gourmet mix
This new snack is also a masterful collaboration between the brand’s own Chef Maui, and Chef Nooror from Blue Elephant Royal Thai Cuisine, recognised as one of Thailand’s top chefs, while her restaurant was recently awarded a Michelin Plate in the Bangkok 2020 Michelin Guide.
For that authentic taste, both chefs worked tirelessly in the snack kitchen and went through countless rounds of testing for a recipe that contains over 16 ingredients and spices, whether we’re talking about kaffir lime leaves or galangal.
our Taste Test
I ripped open my packet of The Golden Duck’s Tom Yum Goong Gourmet Snack ($7.80), the moment it arrived, and was pleased with the creation. What first hits you will be a wave of pungent spice of course, though tempered with a refreshing lime-citrus scent. The spice mix is excellent and perfectly replicates tom yum soup, while still being entirely manageable on the palate. It’s not as spicy as their mala chips, so your taste buds will instead get used to the aromatic body of tom yum.
Of course, it’s the three key ingredients that stand out. The Lotus Root crisps offer a delightful crunch, while adding a sweet dimension to the spicy powder, as the earthy fragrance of the Oyster Mushrooms comes true too. What was most enthralling though, were the Shrimp Chins. I had no idea what that was, but Google tells me that this is a popular seafood snack in Thailand comprising of deep-fried shrimp, particularly the part under the head of a shrimp (hence, “shrimp chin”). Stumbling upon this was a delight, and The Golden Duck does theirs light, crisp, and non-oily, while adding a highly enjoyable umami element.
Also interesting, a spice booster pack is included, so we can easily boost the spice level and intensity in our pack of snacks.
If you love tom yum — and who doesn’t —you ought to consider this snack pack of deep-fried goodness.
The Golden Duck’s Tom Yum Goong Gourmet Mix retails exclusively as a limited-edition Snackbox of 5 gourmet snack packs at $39.00, available at thegoldenduck.co from 28 September 2020.
From 5 October 2020, Tom Yum Goong Gourmet Mix ($7.80) will then be progressively rolled out across all major supermarkets and convenience stores including FairPrice, 7-Eleven, Cold Storage, Giant and online marketplaces such as Lazada, Shopee, Qoo10 in Singapore.
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